Furman Preview (Review added in thread)

[JwgreDeux 1,279]

I hope everyone's post Turkey nap was as full of sweet basketball dreams as mine was. I was having visions of break away dunks and double digit victories and it's tempting to allow that to become the new expectation, but the Furman team coming to town is not one to take lightly. Furman returns most of their starters and production from an NIT team a season ago. They are balanced scoring team with 5 guys averaging 9+ points per game and get a lot of production from deep. They shoot almost 30 3s per game (8th in the country) and make 10 (21st in the country). Mounce (6'7" wing) is their best shooter at nearly 45% from 3, we should really focus in on him defensively. The other guys that makes them go are Gurley (6'8" Post) and Lyons (5'11" guard). When these three all score 10+ points they don't lose. They are a high percentage shooting team from 2, shooting at 56% (top 25 in country) and get up an above average number of attempts, playing at a slightly above average pace. They don't attack the basket, and I don't expect them to challenge our bigs at the rim, they will likely settle for jump shots, hopefully our defense makes them contested ones.

Where they struggle most as a team is rebounding the ball. They are outside the top 200 in offensive and defensive rebounding, as well as outside the top 200 in offensive rebounding % and outside the top 100 in defensive rebounding %. To date we have done a good job rebounding, and have been very good on the offensive glass. I would look for us to attack the basket and challenge their rim protectors (only averaging 2 blocks per game) and crash the glass. Once we do this I think we will be able to move the ball pretty well and get most of the shots we want. On offense limiting our turnovers will be key, as Furman has been generating 18+ per game. We need to be around the 12-13 mark in this game, fewer would obviously be even better.   They are small as a team with only 7 guys getting double digit minutes. 3 guys are all 6'7''-ish, a couple of 6'4'' - ish guys, and a pair of guards who are 5'11,'' their defensive effort is dependent on getting steals and creating turnovers. 

Keys to the game:

• Defend the 3pt shot, especially Mounce
• Limit our turnovers, they are small and will likely double the post on entry passes, so our bigs need to limit TOs as well as our guards. 
• Rebound the ball, especially on the offensive end. 
• Weather a run. With a team like Furman who jacks up 30 3s, at some point they are likely to string a couple together, we need to be mentally ready to weather that and not get tempted to just jack up 3s of our own (unless they are good open looks).
• Take advantage of our depth. I'd like to see us push the pace and really take advantage of our athleticism and depth. 

Here we go. A game I definitely expect to win, and should win comfortably unless we hurt ourselves. Capable team in Furman, but nothing we shouldn't be able to handle. War Eagle!

[gravejd 3,270]

I'm looking for another 20 point type win in this one. That may be a bit bold but this Furman has played 2 power 5 games and lost both and one was to that crap school bama. The other was to South FL. Neither of those being schools that would scare me if Auburn played them. Anything can happen in sports as we saw by Duke and Kentucky losing to vastly inferior opponents but outside of some fluke i don't see Furman coming into AU and giving us much trouble.

Furman averages 68 per game but i think that is a but inflated by some beat downs. They scored 73 against bama who does not play defense. And they scored 55 against South Florida. I predict our D will be more then they can handle. Add that with them not being a good rebounding team and i see this being a struggle for them. AU is playing with a chop on its shoulder and i'll expect that to continue until i see a let down. 

This will be my first game attending in person this year so i'm looking forward to seeing the team live and cheering on my tigers!! War Eagle!

[doverstutts 1,643]

I watched them play USF and they are not what I would call a good team, despite their record, but they are capable of going on a run with their 3 point shooting. Rarely do I expect a blowout, no matter who the opponent is, but I don't think this one will be in doubt. I just can't see them being able to defend us, especially in the paint. If we play good defense, don't get cocky, and take good shots and hit a decent % at the line we should win easily. Its basketball, though, and we have already witnessed some wild stuff

[Grumps 3,704]

6 hours ago, JwgreDeux said:

I hope everyone's post Turkey nap was as full of sweet basketball dreams as mine was. I was having visions of break away dunks and double digit victories and it's tempting to allow that to become the new expectation, but the Furman team coming to town is not one to take lightly. Furman returns most of their starters and production from an NIT team a season ago. They are balanced scoring team with 5 guys averaging 9+ points per game and get a lot of production from deep. They shoot almost 30 3s per game (8th in the country) and make 10 (21st in the country). Mounce (6'7" wing) is their best shooter at nearly 45% from 3, we should really focus in on him defensively. The other guys that makes them go are Gurley (6'8" Post) and Lyons (5'11" guard). When these three all score 10+ points they don't lose. They are a high percentage shooting team from 2, shooting at 56% (top 25 in country) and get up an above average number of attempts, playing at a slightly above average pace. They don't attack the basket, and I don't expect them to challenge our bigs at the rim, they will likely settle for jump shots, hopefully our defense makes them contested ones.

Where they struggle most as a team is rebounding the ball. They are outside the top 200 in offensive and defensive rebounding, as well as outside the top 200 in offensive rebounding % and outside the top 100 in defensive rebounding %. To date we have done a good job rebounding, and have been very good on the offensive glass. I would look for us to attack the basket and challenge their rim protectors (only averaging 2 blocks per game) and crash the glass. Once we do this I think we will be able to move the ball pretty well and get most of the shots we want. On offense limiting our turnovers will be key, as Furman has been generating 18+ per game. We need to be around the 12-13 mark in this game, fewer would obviously be even better.   They are small as a team with only 7 guys getting double digit minutes. 3 guys are all 6'7''-ish, a couple of 6'4'' - ish guys, and a pair of guards who are 5'11,'' their defensive effort is dependent on getting steals and creating turnovers. 

Keys to the game:

• Defend the 3pt shot, especially Mounce
• Limit our turnovers, they are small and will likely double the post on entry passes, so our bigs need to limit TOs as well as our guards. 
• Rebound the ball, especially on the offensive end. 
• Weather a run. With a team like Furman who jacks up 30 3s, at some point they are likely to string a couple together, we need to be mentally ready to weather that and not get tempted to just jack up 3s of our own (unless they are good open looks).
• Take advantage of our depth. I'd like to see us push the pace and really take advantage of our athleticism and depth. 

We we go. A game I definitely expect to win, and should win comfortably unless we hurt ourselves. Capable team in Furman, but nothing we shouldn't be able to handle. War Eagle!

I REALLY enjoy your previews! Thanks! I feel like an expert after reading them!

[looney 794]

Love the previews. Thank you!

I googled, so I wouldn't look like a total lazy bum: game is at 9:00 eastern/8:00 central on SEC Network. Might be worthwhile to add to OP?

[aubiefifty 16,761]

What Bruce Pearl said about upcoming Furman game

Updated Dec 04, 2019;Posted Dec 04, 2019

4-5 minutes

Auburn got off to its first 7-0 start since 2003, and it will be going for its eighth win Thursday against Furman.

Bruce Pearl met with the media ahead of the game. Below is a summary of what he said:

BRUCE PEARL:

-- Furman is a tough opponent who played Villanova close. It won’t send you the line a bunch, so they won’t have that advantage.

-- The break between the Legends Classic and Furman was the longest they’ve had in a while. They filled up with turkey before coming back to practice.

-- The key is can they still be the most excited team on the floor? He doesn’t care about the rankings because, while they’ve proved a lot, they still have a ways to go.

-- The energy is good, but they still need more contribution from the bench. “Those guys need to get better in a hurry.”

-- J’Von McCormick is “obviously a very unselfish player.” He loves that McCormick tries to get his teammates involved, but at the same time, he needs to look to score instead of pass more. He doesn’t need more assists. He needs to shoot more. “But I recognize the combination of his own unselfishness and playmaking for others.”

-- They need to take care of the ball and have more purposeful possessions. Alabama turned it over 24 times against Furman and one, but they will “turn you over.” If they "slop through some things,” Auburn will have trouble.

-- They also need to get the younger guys up to speed on defense. Young players come in and are usually better offensively than defensively.

-- “We’ve played a number of good teams this year. We haven’t played a great team yet.”

-- By playing so many games on the road, they’ve put themselves in different environments. It will help them have even more of a home court advantage.

--"Shockingly" there are still tickets for Thursday. Says this is the last game students can see before break. He knows it’s a crazy time in the semester — the players are swamped with work too. But he hopes they take a break.

-- “I spent my Wednesday and Thursday planting my pansies... I’ve got a strong pansy game going right now. Probably my strongest every. Why pansies? It’s not because they grow through the winter. They survive the winter. Can we survive the winter? ... They should have a different name. Because there’s nothing pansy about a pansy.”

-- Two “incredible” football programs went head-to-head Saturday. “Those kids on both sidelines gave everything they had. As a coach, I was just tremendously impressed with the effort, with the sacrifice.”

-- Winning the Iron Bowl “absolutely” helps the basketball program. It helps all the sports and the university in general.

-- Thursday night is Toys for Tots. The marines will be collecting toys at the doors. Last year, they set a record for how many toys Auburn collects. “There will be children in this country who wake up Thursday morning and will not have a tree or presents, which is obviously very, very sad. But we can do something about it... I want to set some ridiculous records tomorrow."

J’VON MCCORMICK:

-- They’re developing fast as a team, especially the new guys.

-- He didn’t want such a long break. “Honestly, I wanted to keep playing. Kind of get bored resting and watching other teams play on the tv.”

-- They need to get better at free throw shooting and making three’s.

-- Bruce Pearl wants him to be more aggressive.

-- It’s exciting for him to see his teammates get open shots and build their confidence up.

-- They have a lot of different guys that can play a lot of different positions, which will help them later on in the season.

-- Anfernee McLemore and Austin Wiley can finish strong

[JwgreDeux 1,279]

20 hours ago, gravejd said:

I'm looking for another 20 point type win in this one. That may be a bit bold but this Furman has played 2 power 5 games and lost both and one was to that crap school bama. The other was to South FL. Neither of those being schools that would scare me if Auburn played them. Anything can happen in sports as we saw by Duke and Kentucky losing to vastly inferior opponents but outside of some fluke i don't see Furman coming into AU and giving us much trouble.

Furman averages 68 per game but i think that is a but inflated by some beat downs. They scored 73 against bama who does not play defense. And they scored 55 against South Florida. I predict our D will be more then they can handle. Add that with them not being a good rebounding team and i see this being a struggle for them. AU is playing with a chop on its shoulder and i'll expect that to continue until i see a let down. 

This will be my first game attending in person this year so i'm looking forward to seeing the team live and cheering on my tigers!! War Eagle!

Say what you want about Bama, but they have talent, and Furman didn't play well in the game, only shooting 30% from the floor and 26% from three. Despite that the led in the second half and were only down 5 with under a minute to play. They would have won that game if they hit another shot or two before they had to start fouling. Don't sleep on this team. We are better for sure, but they are capable of pushing us and beating us if we sleep walk. 

 

One reason I don't think that will happen, is the amount of time we have before and after this game. I think it allows us to do a lot of game specific work just for this game to avoid any let down. 

[gravejd 3,270]

12 minutes ago, JwgreDeux said:

Say what you want about Bama, but they have talent, and Furman didn't play well in the game, only shooting 30% from the floor and 26% from three. Despite that the led in the second half and were only down 5 with under a minute to play. They would have won that game if they hit another shot or two before they had to start fouling. Don't sleep on this team. We are better for sure, but they are capable of pushing us and beating us if we sleep walk. 

 

One reason I don't think that will happen, is the amount of time we have before and after this game. I think it allows us to do a lot of game specific work just for this game to avoid any let down. 

No argument on the sleep walking part. If we don't come ready to play or have an off night we can lose to ANYBODY. Maybe it is just because i have not seen this team lose yet but something tells me there will not be too many let down games. We seem to be playing with a chip on our shoulder and i think that is a bad thing for teams like Furman who come to town hoping to catch the giant sleeping. I'm trying to remind myself that we required a last second basket to beat a pretty good South Alabama team. But the way the games in Brooklyn went were so impressive to me. One because i think NM and Richmond are going to be high quality wins at the end of the season and second was just how we did it. In both games the teams looked pretty evenly matched for part of the game and then we just left both teams in the dust. We seem to have another level of intensity we can go to or maybe we just wear people down but it was impressive to see in both games. 

I have no doubt we are going to run into some teams that can match that intensity and we are going to lose some games. But i don't think we are going to lose games to less talented teams like Furman who will need some breaks to go their way to win. (knocks on all the wood he can find and kisses rabbit foot)

 

[GwillMac6 20,670]

ME whenever there is a Auburn basketball game that night!!!!! lol I AM SO EXCITED!!!!!! I AM SO SO SO SO SO FREAKING EXCITED!!!!!!!!!! LETS GOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It has been WAY TO LONG!!!!! I NEED MY BRUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCE AND AU BBALL FIX!! LOL

 

[GwillMac6 20,670]

 

[AuburnMike86 43]

Thanks for the preview. Really looking forward to kicking back tonight and watching some hoops.

 

#Wareagle!

[AU64 10,122]

AU left out of the SEC-Big12 Challenge again this year.....hoping we will be back in the rotation soon.      

[Aubie the Tiger 50]

2 minutes ago, AU64 said:

AU left out of the SEC-Big12 Challenge again this year.....hoping we will be back in the rotation soon.      

Not sure where you're hearing this.  Auburn will host Iowa State on January 25, 2020.

[GwillMac6 20,670]

2 minutes ago, AU64 said:

AU left out of the SEC-Big12 Challenge again this year.....hoping we will be back in the rotation soon.      

We play Iowa State at home in it in January lol. WTH? Why did you not think we were in it.

[AU64 10,122]

9 minutes ago, Aubie the Tiger said:

Not sure where you're hearing this.  Auburn will host Iowa State on January 25, 2020.

My bad...thought it was starting this week.....

[AURex 1,994]

I'm ready to see Auburn on the floor again. So far, Auburn has been winning with superior athleticism and size against the opponents so far. I expect the same against Furman. They may keep it close for the first half, but I expect Auburn to wear them down and pull away for a convincing win.

Of course, if the guys are loaded down with turkey and dressing and potatoes, it could be a sluggish outing. But I'm hoping that being home in our own arena with our own fans with incentivize the guyz.

 

[douggwilliams 61]

Anyone notice AU app that broadcast games is always down?

[douggwilliams 61]

Funny thing is they took off the link to contact them when it’s down.  It like 65%.  Like the elevator and play clock at JHS

[aubiefifty 16,761]

Four takeaways from Auburn’s 81-78 win over Furman

Posted Dec 05, 2019

7-8 minutes

Auburn’s freshmen got their first overtime experience in the 81-78 win against Furman. Despite the uncharted territory, freshman Isaac Okoro led the team in scoring and sealed the win for Auburn by making two foul shots with 1.6 seconds left in the game.

The Tigers came out looking a little rusty after their long break. They missed their first four shots and were tied at 4-4 by the first media timeout. Their defense kept the game close until the shots started to fall.

For the first 10 minutes, it was a one-score game, but the Tigers started to open up a lead with just over eight minutes to go in the half. However, while the Tigers couldn’t get their three-ball to fall, the Paladins found their stride, closed the gap and hit three shots at the end of the half to take a 39-31 lead.

“During the course of the season, players are going to get out-played sometime and coaches are going to get out-coached,” Bruce Pearl said. “We never got into any kind of rhythm. I think the nine-day layoff was a factor because we weren’t particularly sharp.”

Coming out of halftime, the Paladins still had a rhythm going and opened up a 14-point lead. Then Anfernee McLemore hit a three and two free throws to turn the momentum. Auburn went on an eight-point run to draw within three.

By shooting 41.9 percent from three, Furman held its lead until J’Von McCormick’s layup tied the game at 64 with 55 seconds left on the clock. McCormick came through again with 14 seconds left to tie the game at 66. He missed Auburn’s final attempt in regulation, which sent Auburn into overtime.

The Tigers opened with a 7-0 run in the first half of overtime. They held the Paladins off and finished the game 81-78 to increase to 8-0.

“We’ve faced some adversity now,” Pearl said. “We’re fortunate to be undefeated at this point. I think everyone is very cognizant of where we are at.”

Here are four takeaways from the win:

Shooting woes continue

Auburn should probably spend some time playing three-point knockout. Free throw knockout also wouldn’t hurt. Before the game, Pearl said defense and shooting only improve through practice, and the Tigers’ shooting could use some improvement in both areas.

Auburn opened the game by missing four shots, including three 3-pointers. By the end of the half, the Tigers had hit just one of their nine 3-point attempts, a meager 11.1 percent. While their free throw percentage was five times higher, making just 50 percent of uncontested shots is not optimal. Auburn generally averages 65.9 percent from the line.

Coming out of the half, Auburn improved its free-throw shooting, hitting three of its four attempts. By the end of the game, it increased to 65.5 percent from the foul line. The outside shooting didn’t improve as much — it increased just five percent. Auburn did not make its second three-pointer of the game until 4.5 minutes into the second half when McLemore knocked down a wide-open three to send the crowd into a frenzy. It was Auburn’s 14th attempt of the night. While McLemore’s shot gave Auburn momentum in the game, it didn’t give it momentum behind the arc. Auburn made two more and finished 4-25, making 16 percent.

New hair, same Okoro

Several of the Tigers came out sporting new hairdos. McLemore buzzed his, Allen Flanigan put his in braids and Okoro let his loose from braids. Despite the less aero-dynamic look, Okoro was his same, dominant self.

While the rest of the team struggled to put points on the board to start the game, Okoro led the way with eight points in the first half. In the second, Auburn fell to a 14-point deficit, but Okoro’s defense helped hold Furman so Auburn could put together an 8-0 run. He scored the last three points of the run with a fast break layup that drew a foul. He sunk the free throw to make it a one-score game.

“I didn’t feel like they could stop us from going to the rim and going to the free throw line,” Okoro said.

By the end of regulation, Okoro was the team’s leading scorer with 12 points. As Auburn headed into overtime, Okoro opened it up with a layup and finished it off with two free throws. He played all five minutes of overtime in addition to his 38 minutes in regulation. Okoro ended the game one rebound away from a double-double with 18 points, nine rebounds and three assists in the 43 minutes he played.

Austin Wiley is a force to be reckoned with

After winning SEC player of the week, Wiley showed why he earned the award. The center put in work down low to get open, fighting off very physical Furman defenders. Wiley was fighting so hard that he became visibly tired and had to take several breaks. Although he put in the second-least amount of time out of the starters, he still put up impressive stats with another double-double. Wiley finished with 13 points and 12 rebounds.

Even though he scored in the double digits, Pearl felt Wiley should have scored more. Five of Wiley’s points came from the free throw line because he only shot five times from the field.

“He should get more than five shots,” Pearl said. “Our guys do a lousy job getting Austin the ball.”

Defensively, Wiley’s presence alone caused several players to miss layups because they veered off course when they encountered him in the paint. He didn’t even have to touch them. As the game got close at the end of the game, he helped make some big defensive stops so Auburn could close the gap.

Wiley played four of the five overtime minutes, and he had three rebounds, two points and a block in those four minutes. In his 29 minutes, he didn’t commit a single turnover and finished with two blocks and two steals with only two fouls.

Losing makes Headband Samir emerge

As Auburn fell further behind, Samir Doughty became visibly agitated, and he seemed to kick into another gear.

Doughty always had his eye on the ball, even when he wasn’t guarding the ball handler. He was clearly itching to leave his man and just go after the ball. When he was on the ball, he caused serious problems for Furman, tipping balls and making a general nuisance of himself. He even went diving through a player’s legs to retrieve a ball the Paladins had swiped from him. Doughty played a clean game and wasn’t called for a single foul.

“He was fighting,” Pearl said. “He didn’t take one possession off defensively. Showed a lot of grit, a lot of heart, a lot of character.”

On offense, Doughty didn’t have his best game of the year. He didn’t hit any of his seven three-point attempts and finished with 13 points, below his average of 19.3 points a game. However, he was relentless as he drove repeatedly into the paint, scoring six straight points for Auburn. As the clock wound down in overtime, Doughty laid it in to give Auburn a two-possession lead with 12.1 seconds to go. However, his efforts also resulted in six turnovers.

[cole256 17,049]

18 minutes ago, aubiefifty said:

Austin Wiley is a force to be reckoned with

After winning SEC player of the week, Wiley showed why he earned the award. The center put in work down low to get open, fighting off very physical Furman defenders. Wiley was fighting so hard that he became visibly tired and had to take several breaks. Although he put in the second-least amount of time out of the starters, he still put up impressive stats with another double-double. Wiley finished with 13 points and 12 rebounds.

Even though he scored in the double digits, Pearl felt Wiley should have scored more. Five of Wiley’s points came from the free throw line because he only shot five times from the field.

“He should get more than five shots,” Pearl said. “Our guys do a lousy job getting Austin the ball.”

Defensively, Wiley’s presence alone caused several players to miss layups because they veered off course when they encountered him in the paint. He didn’t even have to touch them. As the game got close at the end of the game, he helped make some big defensive stops so Auburn could close the gap.

Wiley played four of the five overtime minutes, and he had three rebounds, two points and a block in those four minutes. In his 29 minutes, he didn’t commit a single turnover and finished with two blocks and two steals with only two fouls.

...

[McLoofus 35,182]

9 minutes ago, cole256 said:

...

Still learning over here. Mind elaborating? Is this Maverick telling Goose I told you so?

[1716AU 728]

On 12/4/2019 at 4:35 PM, gravejd said:

I'm looking for another 20 point type win in this one.

I think you were a bit off the mark on this one...a 9 day lay-off does a lot to a basketball team...

[cole256 17,049]

1 hour ago, McLoofus said:

Still learning over here. Mind elaborating? Is this Maverick telling Goose I told you so?

Not goose, but pretty much you know by personality, and luckily we've been friends despite it 😂 but it seems every year I'll say stuff and despite being super consistent many tend to disagree or laugh off what I say. Since Pearl been here I explained what type of offense he was building ofcourse dumb, and I could list things every year...so this year I explained Wiley's role as long as he stayed healthy. And Bruce just said exactly what I've been saying. 

But i said I'm not arguing this year I said we'll see and we can revisit so I need to mark posts in case people challenge things I said. 

 

[bigbird 60,510]

1 hour ago, aubiefifty said:

He should get more than five shots,” Pearl said. “Our guys do a lousy job getting Austin the ball.”

Yep

[gravejd 3,270]

45 minutes ago, 1716AU said:

I think you were a bit off the mark on this one...a 9 day lay-off does a lot to a basketball team...

No kidding....thank goodness we won. I was at the game and you could tell the lay off had big impact on the team. At times we just looked completely lost. Couldn't pass the ball, couldn't dribble the ball and could not buy a 3. I'm not sure what the final stat line was but i think we were like 4-24 from 3 and if we shot better then 65% from the line I would be surprised. Hard to win games when you can't shot and don't take care of the basketball. And had 4 and 45 not fouled out i'm not sure we win that game. Wiley and Mac had no answer for Gurley. If we play many more big men with those skills we are going to be in trouble. 

Also...we have got to stop the offense where we toss the ball around the parameter and look for Wiley down low. It does not work. We can not get him the ball like that so we really need to try something else if we are set on forcing that issue